Today was major demolition day. Now I know why the people in charge of Extreme Home Makeover have the owners go away on a trip and watch the destruction of their home on a video monitor. That way no one from the family runs in front of the crane yelling, “I’ve changed my mind! Leave my poor, dilapidated home alone!” I’m remembering that one of the biggest differences between me and Rod relates to how much we like change.
I woke up this morning with a vague feeling of dread. I felt a bit like there was this helpless thing counting on me for protection, but instead I was giving the order to destroy it. It was sort of like I felt the morning I knew we had to take our 16-year-old dog, Ebony, to be put to sleep. I knew this was something we had to do. It was time. It was for the best. But yet, I grieved. (Yikes, I’m even more codependent and sentimental than I thought I was!) I admit it, I will even miss the corny wallpaper in the kitchen a tiny bit.
It’s hard to describe the whirlwind that hit us about 8:30 A.M. While four men ripped cabinets off the wall and carpet off the floor, another guy shouted questions about where to install speakers on the ceiling and what kind of remote control we want for our new t.v. (Oh, and I asked how long I have to be without my washer and drier and was thrilled to hear that there will just be about 5 days between the old machines getting unplugged and the new ones being installed.) Whew! And that won’t happen for a couple of weeks.
Here’s an analogy of what this morning felt like. It was like being in the classroom and your teacher hands you a page of easy math problems to do. You do problems like this all the time, no sweat. But just as you are ready to start, the teacher says that today while you work there will be a few other things going on. She tells you, “Pay no attention to that grizzly bear you see roaring and sniffing around. He’s harmless. And there is a rock band practicing in that corner over there. Just ignore it. Also, that clown juggling all those plates will be standing by you. Just stay focused on your work. He knows what he’s doing and even if he drops a plate and it smashes, it’s ok, he’ll clean it up.”
Lord, I felt so many earthly decisions and exciting happenings tugging on me today. It was all I could do to focus at work. Thank you for helping me find my center in You several times when I was tempted to let the overwhelmed feelings take over. This seems like a testing time for Rod and I to see if we can truly keep our eyes on You, even in the midst of all this tantalizing change taking place around us. Protect these great workers who are part of the team doing the project. May we be a blessing to them in some small way. And help us bless one another, even though we are both exhausted as we gaze at the bare bones that are all that remain of the heart of our home.
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION:
Can you identify a time when you felt God was doing a remodel project in your marriage? I'd love to hear from you!
Please click on the comments link to share your experiences. Charlene
No comments:
Post a Comment